Box Score STARKVILLE, Miss. – Giving a gallant effort in the program's first NCAA Tournament game in nine years, the 13th seeded Belmont women's basketball team fell to fourth seeded Michigan State 74-60 in a NCAA First Round game played Friday afternoon at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi.
"I am proud of our team," said Head Coach Cameron Newbauer. "We just went toe-to-toe with a top 16 team in the country, one of the best teams in the Big Ten. We fought and we competed and I couldn't be more proud of what these ladies have done this year."
Belmont (24-9) saw two players in double-digit scoring as junior Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) led with 17 and redshirt sophomore Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) posted 16. Freshman Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wisc.) went 2-for-3 from three on her way to nine points in the game. Freshman Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) put up eight.
"Offensively we did not have our best game, but we still fought and were right in there the whole time." said Newbauer.
Joubran also led off the boards with five total rebounds.
"I think I found my role this year, coming off the bench to kind of be a spark with my toughness and my grit," added Joubran about her play today. "We wanted it, I wanted it and as a whole we all wanted it. I just came in and gave my effore to help the team."8
The Bruins went 10-for-14 from the free throw line and recorded 32 rebounds.
Belmont showed no signs of awe on the game's biggest stage, matching the Spartans' toughness and execution and standing toe to toe every step of the way.
The first half saw the Spartans take leads of eight points in both periods. However, the Bruins closed the gap each time and went to halftime down 34-30. Kylee Smith and Frankie Joubran each led Belmont with nine points.
"Obviously you want to push passed that hump and take the lead, it was definitelty frustrating, but I neve once doubted our team," said Smith. "I think we were just looking up and seeing the score, just knowing that we can put our foot down and keep going."
The Spartans took an early lead in the first quarter going up 14-5 but a 8-2 run by the Bruins closed the gap to three. Freshman Jenny Roy (Franklin, Tenn.) hit a huge three to start the run and Joubran drove through traffice to knock down the basket and one to close out the run.
Two free throws from junior Lauren Thompson (Brentwood, Tenn.) brought the Bruins within one but Michigan State hit a layup to close out the first inning up by three.
Bruins opened up the second quarter with a layup from Smith followed by a three from sophomore Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) which gave Belmont their one and only lead of the game, 22-20.
Michigan State quickly regained control as they went on a 10-0 run which put them up 30-22.
The two squads traded baskets for the next three minutes. Followed by neither team scoring in the last three minutes of the first half as Belmont trailed by six, 34-28
The third quarter was a back and forth affair. The Bruins cut the lead to one, 36-35, at 6:18 and to two, 42-40, with four minutes to go, but MSU always countered the Belmont runs.
Belmont cut the lead to three at the end of the third quarter but an unfortunate foul called at the buzzer led to Jasmine Hines' two free throws which gave the Spartans 52-47 lead.
The start of the fourth saw Michigan State go on a 10-0 run at extend their lead to 15 at 62-47 at 8:38. Belmont could never overcome that MSU run and fell to Spartans by 15.
A jumper from Joubran and a three from Harmeyer cut the lead to 10 but that would be the closest the Bruins would get to close out the game as the Spartans took charge.
The Bruins committed only one second half turnover, but the Spartan combination of Aerial Powers and Hines carried Michigan State on to the second round.
Newbauer with the classy call as he put junior Madison Blevins (Knoxville, Tenn.), freshman Sam Ross (Cincinnati, Ohio) and the lone senior Natalie Cohlmeyer (Evansville, Ind.) in to close out the game and giving them some NCAA playing time.
Michigan State (25-8) also had two players in double figures. Powers posted a game-high 27, while Hines added 24.
"The great thing about this group of girls is that we are so young, and we have so much to learn from this experience," said Newbauer. "We just won 24 games, and to have different people that can step up at different times is something great about this team. Our kids want more, the ladies on this team and I both believe we can do more, we have a lot of people coming back that are going to have that burn and desire to get better, like they have shown all year."
